The west end’s best new breweries

A new crop of small, hyper-local breweries in the city’s west end have transformed gyms, manufacturing plants and auto body shops into community gathering spots with great beer. Here are eight that have opened in the past year alone.

Blood Brothers Brewing

A photo posted by Blood Brothers Brewing (@bloodbrothersbrewing) on May 17, 2016 at 2:38pm PDT

Since opening their brewery last fall, brothers Dustin and Brayden Jones have already expanded their brewing capacity and moved across the street to a shared space with Indie Ale House. It’s only a bottle shop at the moment, but the taproom will be up and serving by July 9. The Joneses experiment with seasonal fruits under their Paradise Lost label, which includes White Lies, a hoppy sour made with Sauvignon Blanc grapes.Drink this: Shumei IPA, a juicy, boozy brew flavoured with grapefruit, orange zest and fragrant pine.Eat this: There’s no menu yet, but you can bring your own snacks.

A photo posted by Rainhard Brewing Company (@rainhardbrewing) on May 27, 2016 at 6:47am PDT

Rainhard Brewing is tucked behind the Stockyards in a former manufacturing plant. The open-concept brewery is also a taproom, events space and bottle shop. The small but lively staff of three (including owner and brewer Jordan Rainhard) pumps out a stellar list of beer, including a rich and malty milk stout and a toasty and fruity black IPA.Drink this: Lazy Bones (a gold medal winner at the 2016 Canadian Brewing Awards), an American-style IPA with lots of pine, citrus, tropical fruits and a nicely balanced bitterness.Eat this: Charcuterie boards from Stasis Local Foods during special events. The rest of the time, it’s BYO-food.

Burdock

A photo posted by Burdock (@burdockonbloor) on Feb 15, 2016 at 1:55pm PST

Bloordale’s Burdock wears many hats: it’s a microbrewery, music hall and cozy, candlelit restaurant all in one. Family-style dishes by chef Jeremy Dennis (Woodlot, Chantecler) pair perfectly with the rotating selection of farmhouse and American pale ales designed by veteran brewer Siobhan McPherson (Mill Street, Amsterdam).Drink this: West Coast Pils, an easy-drinking lager with hints of lemon, floral hops and a solid malt backbone.Eat this: The menu changes often, but currently includes seasonal dishes like caramelized zucchini with ramp dressing, and charred asparagus.

Bandit Brewery

A photo posted by Bandit Brewery (@bandit_brewery) on May 7, 2016 at 9:39am PDT

The buzziest of the new bunch, the adorably branded Bandit opened this May in a former auto body shop, transforming the adjacent parking lot into a sprawling street-side patio. With a roster of 15 beers and a menu of salty snacks, ordering flights and bites here is a great way to spend an afternoon.Drink this: Smoke on the Porter, a deeply smoky porter flavoured with peaty malts, coffee and a touch of black pepper.Eat this: Soft pretzels, beer-battered cheese curds and crispy chicken tails served with spicy white barbecue sauce.

A photo posted by 303 Lansdowne Bar (@303lansdowne) on May 27, 2016 at 2:07pm PDT

Lansdowne Brewery opened its doors last May at the corner of Dundas and College—where a good beer bar was desperately needed. Though they’re not brewing onsite yet (they’re almost through the licensing red tape) they get by with a little help from their friends, like Rainhard, who let them use vats when there’s a vacancy. In the meantime, the taps at Lansdowne showcase the best of local breweries.Drink this: A rotating Lansdowne brew, like their hoppy and malty Buck 10 imperial amber ale, a collaboration with the east-end’s Muddy York Brewing Co.Eat this: Deep-fried pickles, house-made kettle chips and pickled eggs.

Halo Brewery

Opened by two former techies, the two-month-old Halo is already a favourite among craft beer nerds. Brewers Eric Portelance and Callum Hay take traditional beers and add spins with ingredients like coriander, ginger, rose hips and kiwi. And if you like what you drink, all of their recipes can be found on Halo’s website.Drink this: Ion Cannon, a sessionable salty and sweet strawberry and kiwi gose.Eat this: Small bites like cured pork cacciatore meat sticks from PEC’s WooHoo Farm, fleur de sel foccacia and cheddar scones.

A photo posted by Henderson Brewing Company (@hendersonbrewing) on May 31, 2016 at 6:09pm PDT

Henderson is part of the controversial gentrification of the artsy, post-industrial Sterling Avenue (soon to be home of the Museum of Contemporary Canadian Art), but families, cyclists and dog walkers on the West Toronto Railpath are happy to use the new brewery as a rest and refresh stop. A tribute to Toronto’s first brewer, Robert Henderson, it opened in May and releases a monthly brew inspired by the city, like the grapefruit radler collab with Sweet Pete’s bike shopDrink this: Henderson’s Best, an amber-hued English-style bitter with toffee malt flavours and a wisp of floral hops.Eat this: Cheese and charcuterie from the Drake are available for purchase, and food trucks occasionally stop by.

Formerly Habits Gastropub, Folly’s on the cusp of a new trend in brewing: nanobreweries dedicated to making one style of beer—in this case, the funky farmhouse-style ales of Belgium and France. Christina Coady and Chris Conway were brought on to start the tiny brewery which has already been named one of the top five breweries in the province by the Ontario Craft Beer Guide.Drink this: A tasting paddle of four brews, and a bottle or two of their Old World Saison to go.Eat this: New chef Anthony Santi (Bestellen, Montreal’s Toqué) will roll out his menu on July 12.